The link between Christmas and consuming has become so ingrained in our society that anyone who questions it is likely to be dubbed a scrooge. But waste-management agencies and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) now see December as an opportunity to point out just how wasteful we can be when shopping for gifts and food.
According to Repak, the packaging recycling agency, our packaging waste increases by 25 per cent over Christmas. Each household generates about 44 kilos of packaging waste over the holiday season. And our levels of food waste also spiral upwards.
There is a larger environmental back story to the current levels of consumption that is examined in the American film, The Story of Stuff (thestoryofstuff.org). Narrated by Greenpeace activist Annie Leonard, the 20-minute documentary examines the origins of mass consumerism in America as far back as the 1950s.
“After World War II, efforts to ramp up the economy made consumption the new ritual, encouraging people to seek spiritual and ego satisfaction in shopping,” says Annie Leonard.
Globalised production means that cheap products are transported around the world at a high price to local environments. Low wages and the exploitation of natural resources are behind so much of what reaches our shelves at Christmas.
Leonard claims that designers often work hard to build in obsolescence so that we throw away broken things and simply buy more stuff because it is cheaper and easier than repairing things.
In January 2017, Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will tap into the Story of Stuff movement with the launch of a video competition for secondary school students on conspicuous consumption.
But, meanwhile, at this peak shopping period, can you actively choose to break out of this cycle of shopping for things, many of which will be discarded or broken within six months of purchase?
Pauline McDonagh, regional waste-prevention co-ordinator in the Southern Waste Region (an offshoot of several local authorities), admits it is difficult to encourage people to think about waste-prevention at this traditional time of excess. “Every year I try to come up with quirky and unusual ways to prevent waste so as not to alienate people,” she says.
The environmental NGO Voice is also campaigning to help reduce waste during the festive season through its social media campaign The twelve Wastes of Christmas. Each day until December 12th, the team at Voice highlights excess waste while making suggestions to reduce it (voiceireland.org).
So, yes, you can actively choose to give presents that do not add to waste mountains or exploit natural resources or workers in factories where low wages and exploitation continue.
Swimming lessons
Giving a gift of experience is one way to do so. For example, buying tickets to a show, a canal boat ride, swimming lessons, bird-watching, a hiking trip, a massage, dance class – the list is endless once you start thinking about it.
Giving the gift of time is another option that would be well received by parents or siblings with young children at home over Christmas holidays. Babysitting vouchers (with a time limit) or offers of help to people caring for older relatives over Christmas is worth a lot more than over-packaged gift sets.
Giving home-made gifts is another alternative. If the surge in buying cookery books at Christmas time could be translated into people actually making their own foodstuffs as gifts, then we would have something more to celebrate.
Many of us also have bottom drawers full of unwanted presents, so why not clear that bottom drawer this year, carefully picking out the most appropriate gifts for friends and family instead of going out to buy more.
McDonagh also suggests buying gifts from the re-use sector. Charity shops, salvage stores and auction rooms are potential outlets here.
“Don’t buy a Christmas jumper, instead upcycle one yourself using a stapler, fabric glue or hand sewing tinsel and baubles on yourself,” says McDonagh.
You could also consider eco gifts such as energy-saving bulbs, native tree vouchers, a solar-powered radio or torch or even a radon gas test kit.
Five years after making The Story of Stuff documentary, Leonard fronted another film for the growing international movement keen to move away from unconscious consuming. In The Story of Solutions Leonard examines how zero-waste communities, buying locally-produced goods, clean production, natural resource management, sharing economies and labour rights are all part of a move away from these heavy consumption patterns.
Waste-management agencies are also keen to remind us to watch what we recycle. And while our recycling bins won’t be rejected (yet) for contaminated items as was the case in Germany recently, we are advised to discard only clean and empty recyclables. So plastic containers should be rinsed, cardboard flattened and plastic bottles squashed.
Contamination
“Recyclables get rejected if the recycling companies spot contamination that can spoil the quality of the recycled materials and the sorting machinery,” says McDonagh.
Jonathan Derham of the EPA says that excessive packaging on toys is trickier, as the packaging is often essential to ensure the product arrives unbroken.
“Really what we need manufacturers to do is to make a lifecycle assessment to ensure they are using sustainable raw materials and manufacturing practices that are safe for the environment and their workers, and to consider how the product will be used and disposed of.”
Food waste is another issue as families gather for large meals together and then disappear again, leaving a smaller number of people to eat the leftovers.
Current estimates suggest many of us waste about one-third of the food we buy. “The amount of food waste also increases significantly at this time, particularly for foods that are deemed traditional but not always relished at the Christmas table,” says Lorraine Bull of Voice.
Clearing space in your freezer now so that Christmas leftovers can be frozen straight away is a good start. Also, don’t shop when you are hungry and always bring a shopping list, especially when you are planning large meals.
“Don’t stock up as if the supermarkets won’t open again until March. You’ll be able to get food again soon, and buying too much food at one time means it is more likely to go off,” says Derham. “Using serving dishes so people can help themselves rather than putting everything on plates also makes using leftovers easier.”
And if you’re a good cook, maybe even consider giving a neighbour living alone a Christmas dinner over the holidays.
See also stopfoodwaste.ie; livegreen.ie; voiceireland.org; thestoryofstuff.org
